The Indianapolis Colts have the number one draft pick in the upcoming NFL draft. This will be a very important pick to determine the future of the franchise. Andrew Luck is largely expected to be the pick and the teams new quarterback. Looking back, the team has had a lot of success with first round draft picks. These five players are the best first round selections in franchise history.

Peyton Manning

Needless to say, Manning was the first overall selection in 1998 and is one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. He played 13 seasons in Indianapolis and will forever be the face of the franchise. There is no doubt that he was well worth the first overall selection the team used on him and was the best first round pick the team ever made.

Marvin Harrison

Harrison was selected in the 1996 draft with the 19th overall selection. Harrison and Manning had an amazing connection throughout their career together and proved very worthy of a first round pick.

Edgerrin James

Indianapolis shocked a lot of fans when they chose James with the fourth overall selection in 1999. James was able to bring a dominant rushing force to the team and take a big load off Peyton Manning early in his career. James will forever be remembered for how well he played in Indianapolis.

Dwight Freeney

Freeney was selected element overall in 2002 out of Syracuse. Freeney was largely considered a risk because he was very small for his position. He has proven to be one of the best pass rushers in the NFL since Tony Dungy selected him nearly a decade ago.

Marshall Faulk

Faulk was the second overall pick in the 1994 draft for Indianapolis. Faulk only played five seasons in Indianapolis and made three Pro Bowl awards during that time. He helped ease the transition for Peyton Manning in his rookie year and was later traded to make way for Edgerrin James. Faulk was a great pick for the team and one of the five best first round draft picks ever.

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and has been a lifelong fan of the Indianapolis Colts. He attended Super Bowl XLIV in Miami and follows the team closely. He also runs the blog www.coltsfansonline.com that covers the team. Follow him on Twitter @kyler11.

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Indianapolis Colts draft history

One of the biggest needs for the Indianapolis Colts is at the nose tackle position. This seems to be an area the team is determined to improve in the upcoming NFL draft. The following are five players who are possibilities at the nose tackle position for Indianapolis.

Alameda Ta’amu

Ta’amu is a big player and may be the best natural nose tackle in the draft. He stands six-feet-two inches and weighs 348 pounds. This would be a great pick for the team to shore up a major position of need. Ta’amu could be an instant starter and rotate with the recently signed Brandon McKinney. Ta’amu is just the player Indianapolis needs to clog up the middle of the defense and help stop the run.

Akiem Hicks

Hicks would be more of a developmental player at the position. He weighs close to 320 pounds and could be selected in the middle to late rounds of the draft. Hicks is similar in size to Haloti Ngata and Pagano would be thrilled if he could get a player to develop into the role Ngata plays in Baltimore.

Josh Chapman

Chapman comes from a great program in Alabama and faced strong competition in the SEC. He’s just 315 pounds but is a very strong player and played nose tackle for the defending national champions. Chapman could fall in the draft since he’s currently rehabbing an ACL injury suffered last season. If he’s healthy I think Chapman is a player the team could insert and be an impact player right away.

Hebron Fangupo

Fangupo played nose tackle at BYU and is a big body for a smaller player. At 325 pounds, Fangupo fits the type of player Indianapolis is likely looking for on the defensive line.

Nick Jean-Baptiste

Nick Jean-Baptiste played the nose tackle at Baylor and had four sacks at the position in 2011. Baptiste weighs 335 pounds and would be a big addition to the team. I think this would be a great selection around the fifth round and one where the team could maximize value and fulfill a major need.

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and has been a lifelong fan of the Indianapolis Colts. He attended Super Bowl XLIV in Miami and follows the team closely. He runs a blog about the team at www.coltsfansonline.com. Follow him on Twitter @kyler11.

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3-4 nose tackle rankings

The Indianapolis Colts have cut another veteran player! Fans can relax this time. The announcement came on April 13 that wide receiver Blair White was waived by the team.

This move is somewhat of a surprise because of the teams severe lack of depth at the wide receiver position. White was one of very few players on the roster who had actual game experience in the NFL. White played quite a bit during his rookie season in 2010 when filling in for an injured Austin Collie. Fans shouldn’t get too worked up over the release of White. While he is one of the few experienced relievers on the roster, he simply wasn’t a quality player. I didn’t see how he fit with the new coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians prefers players with speed and White was one of the slowest in the league at his position. He can easily be replaced with a younger rookie in the upcoming draft.

This move ensures that the team is going to use at least one or two high draft picks on wide receivers. Indianapolis will select their future quarterback in the first round and then should look to add weapons for that quarterback shortly after. I think that it’s an almost certainty that either a second or third round pick will be used on a receiver. I recently wrote about five options the team could consider at the wide receiver position. Each of these players would be a major upgrade over the departed Blair White.

I was surprised to see many fans reacting to the release of Blair White. I suppose the reactions come from the release of yet another familiar player that had been with the team during times of success. In the end, this loss will not affect the team and may even make them better moving forward. This presents yet another reason for fans to look forward to the upcoming NFL draft from April 26-28.

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and has been a lifelong fan of the Indianapolis Colts. He attended Super Bowl XLIV in Miami and follows the team closely. He runs a blog about the team at www.coltsfansonline.com. Follow him on Twitter @kyler11.

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Colts waive White

The Indianapolis Colts have a major need a wide receiver. The position is a major need for the team and one they must improve in the draft. I think that a big hint at the type of player Indianapolis may draft can be seen in looking at the wide receivers of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Former Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Bruce Arians is now in Indianapolis and will try to install his offense with the team. Arians commonly prefers speed over size in receivers. Pittsburgh receivers Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown, and Emmanuel Sanders are all fast and each fall between five-foot-ten inches tall and six foot and are between 180 and 200 pounds. A big target like Stephen Hill would be nice but other players appear much more likely to be targeted by Indianapolis.

Rueben Randle

Randle would be a nice selection for the Colts. He played at LSU where he played against top competition but never had a great quarterback throwing to him. He’s a big, fast, and physical receiver and would add something that Indianapolis has not had recently. Randle falls on the taller side at six-foot-three and weighing 210 pounds but may be tough to pass up if he’s there either in the second or third round.

Mohammed Sanu

Sanu stands six-foot-one inches tall and weighs 213 pounds. He plays fast though and has great hands. I think he would due a great compliment to a possession receiver like Reggie Wayne. Sanu would be a good fit within the offense and a quality addition to the team. He may be a reach in the early second round but would be a steal if he were to fall to the third.

AJ Jenkins

Jenkins ran a 4.37 40 yard dash at the scouting combine and is a very fast and explosive player. I think he would fit in perfectly within the offense and would be an immediate weapon for Andrew Luck and the Colts. Jenkins is six-foot, 190 pounds and reminds me a lot of Antonio Brown. This would be a very popular pick and addition to the Indianapolis Colts.

Joe Adams

Adams is five-foot-eleven inches and weighs 183 pounds and is a fast receiver. Adams is a playmaker that would be a very nice addition alongside Wayne and Austin Collie. Adams could also make an impact on special teams as a returner. This would be another major addition to the team.

Chris Givens

Givens is one of the fastest players in the draft and fits the mold of a Bruce Arians receiver. He’s very quick and stands five-foot-eleven inches and weighs 195 pounds. Givens is also a player that could be had in the middle rounds while using the earlier selections to focus on other areas of need.

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and has been a lifelong fan of the Indianapolis Colts. He attended Super Bowl XLIV in Miami and follows the team closely. He runs a blog about the team at www.coltsfansonline.com. Follow him on Twitter @kyler11.

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2012 NFL draft wide receivers rankings

Andrew Luck was in Indianapolis on April 10 visiting with the team most likely to select him in the draft. The Indianapolis Colts hold the first overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft and appear destined to select Luck as their next quarterback. This visit could prove to be the final step necessary before the team makes their decision on the pick. Indianapolis already saw Luck at his pro day and also conducted a private workout of Luck on April 3 on the Stanford campus.

Following the visit, Jim Irsay tweeted: “Met with A Luck#12 n Indy 2day for 3 hrs;it’s easy 2c why the #1 pick n this Stanford phenom has been synonymous with each other 4over 2 yrs”.

Irsay’s twitter account has been a source of breaking news for Colt fans everywhere over the past year. If he’s this enamored with Luck, the next move is to announce the teams intentions and sign him to a contract. It’s the move every Colt fan is eagerly awaiting and wants to see. Of course, fans hardly get what they want when they want it. After such a difficult offseason, Irsay owes a little something to the fans though. A great move would be to decide on Luck, sign him to a contract and have him in Indianapolis on draft day to attempt to ignite the fan base.

I was sold on Luck long ago but became even more excited recently when reading Tom Moore’s comments about the quarterback. Moore praised Luck and said that he would be a special player in the league. At this time, nobody knows if Luck will turn out to be a Pro Bowl quarterback in the NFL. Colt fans are ready to watch him develop and find out if he someday will. It’s a new era in Indianapolis and the next step toward “Building the Monster” is drafting Andrew Luck and getting a franchise quarterback. It seems Jim Irsay already knows that. At the latest, everyone will find out on April 26.

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and has been a lifelong fan of the Indianapolis Colts. He attended Super Bowl XLIV in Miami and follows the team closely. He runs a blog about the team at www.coltsfansonline.com. Follow him on Twitter @kyler11.

Dwight Freeney is going to remain a member of the Indianapolis Colts in 2012. Despite the purge of many veterans and a very large contract for this season, Freeney will remain with the team amidst its transition to a hybrid 3-4 defense. His new role will be as the rush linebacker, similar to Terrell Suggs‘ role in Baltimore.

I think Dwight will have a lot of success in this role as a rush linebacker in the 3-4. The benefits to this are that the three defensive lineman in a 3-4 front are generally bigger players whose goal is to occupy space and hold gaps for linebackers to roam free. The new attacking defense will also bring more pressure than before. In past seasons, every opponent knew that Freeney and Mathis would bring the pressure and not much else would come from the Colt defense. This defense will be drastically different. The addition of Cory Redding alongside Freeney will add a player who can also provide pressure on the quarterback.

Coach Chuck Pagano recently stated that in the new defense, Freeney will play the role similar to Terrell Suggs in the Baltimore Ravens‘ defense. I think this is a great move by coach Pagano and one that could lead to a lot of success for the defense. Despite Suggs being slightly taller, the two are similar in build. I think it will take some time to learn the scheme and become comfortable, but fans will still see Freeney primarily rushing the passer from his traditional right side. That won’t change even with the new defense.

For fans, Pagano’s attacking defense is a welcome change after playing such a boring defensive style for so long. I’m excited already to see what the defense can do this upcoming season. It’s also nice to have a familiar face in Dwight Freeney returning for the team. If he can play at a level even close to what Suggs did for the defense in Baltimore, fans are going to be very happy next season. I think fans are going to be pleasantly surprised with the quick transition of the defense under the new coaching staff.

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and has been a lifelong fan of the Indianapolis Colts. He attended Super Bowl XLIV in Miami and follows the team closely. He also runs the blog www.coltsfansonline.com that covers the team. Follow him on Twitter @kyler11.

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Colts will use Freeney as Ravens used Suggs

Little suspense remains for the Indianapolis Colts and their first overall draft pick. It’s widely suspected that Andrew Luck will be chosen to be their next quarterback. The bigger question fans now have is who will be the next player selected with the teams second round draft pick. I see five candidates out there who could be the selection at number 34 overall.

Coby Fleener, TE

Fleener is the popular pick for Indianapolis in the second round. He fills a major need for the team at tight end and also has close connections to the expected new quarterback. Luck and Fleener had great chemistry at Stanford and would be lucky to continue that connection in Indianapolis. It’s certainly possible that a team could select Fleener in the first round, but if he’s there, I see Indianapolis selecting him.

Alameda Ta’amu, DT

Ta’amu would fill a major hole for the team at nose tackle. With the switch to a 3-4 defense, the team will need someone to clog the middle and stuff the run. The signing of Brandon McKinney is nice, but a solid young player is still needed. Ta’amu would give the team a young player they could develop in the middle of the defense. Someone will have to be selected at this position and I think Ta’amu would be a great choice.

Janoris Jenkins, CB

Jenkins is a very good player who may fall in the draft because of concerns of his character. Cornerback is a huge need for the team and one they must improve in the draft. If a player this talented were to fall to the second round, I think it would be very difficult for Indianapolis to pass him up. Jenkins may be able to step in immediately as the best corner on the roster. Jenkins is also coming to Indianapolis for a visit with the team soon.

Reuben Randle, WR

Whichever quarterback is selected first overall is going to need more talent around them at the receiver position. Randle would add a big, fast target that the quarterback could grow with. He still can develop as a player and would get to learn from one of the best in the game, Reggie Wayne.

Andre Branch, OLB

I think it wouldn’t be a surprise to get a good player who would be a natural fit in the new defensive scheme in Indianapolis. Branch would get a season to learn behind Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney and be able to ease his transition to the NFL and to the outside linebacker position. Freeney is likely gone after this season and the new front office may see Branch as the future at outside linebacker. This move would be difficult for fans to understand because the team has several other glaring needs at this time.

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and has been a lifelong fan of the Indianapolis Colts. He attended Super Bowl XLIV in Miami and follows the team closely. He also runs the blog www.coltsfansonline.com that covers the team. Follow him on Twitter @kyler11.

The Indianapolis Colts finally have their nose tackle for their new 3-4 defense. Well, they at least have someone on the roster who can play nose tackle now. After being very active through the first two weeks of free agency, things slowed down in Indianapolis and the team was left without a big body to many the middle of the defense. On April 5 the team helped solve that problem by signing free agent defensive tackle Brandon McKinney.

As a fan of the team, McKinney is the kind of player I have been begging for for years. McKinney stands six-foot-two inches tall and weighs 345 pounds. It’s no secret that the Indianapolis defense has long struggled against the run. Anthony “Booger” McFarland is the last defensive tackle I remember that did a decent job defending against the run. Shortly after coach Pagano was hired, I remember looking at the list of free agent defensive players from Baltimore and noticing McKinnney’s name. A 3-4 defense is not complete without a big body in the middle that can occury defenders and create space for others to work. At this time, McKinney appears to be the best option the team has at that position.

The addition of McKinney isn’t something fans should get too exited over. He’s never been a great player and never seen consistent playing time at either San Diego or Baltimore. He has played behind some very talented players though and hopefully learned a lot from them. Fans can only hope that McKinney soaked in a lot playing in Baltimore and watching Haloti Ngata and Terrance Cody every day. Maybe this will be a chance for McKinney to finally prove his worth and have a breakout season.

Like the rest of the offseason signings, fans have to like the new general manager Ryan Grigson isn’t afraid to take chances on players in the free agent pool. McKinney is another low risk signing that could pay off for the team. If he doesn’t, the team can go with a younger alternative in his place. If he does, it’s another signing that could go a long way toward helping Pagano build a monster on defense in Indianapolis.

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and has been a lifelong fan of the Indianapolis Colts. He attended Super Bowl XLIV in Miami and follows the team closely. He also runs the blog www.coltsfansonline.com that covers the team. Follow him on Twitter @kyler11.

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Colts add tackle

The Indianapolis Colts will have a special guest in the next couple of weeks when Stanford quarterback and likely 2012 NFL Draft first round draft pick Andrew Luck holds a private workout for his likely future team.

Colts general manager Ryan Grigson said during a conference call on Monday that Andrew Luck was ready to workout with the team but he would not yet confirm exactly when that workout would occur.

In the meantime Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III will not practice with the team although members of the Colts organization did watch Griffin during his pro day at Baylor University.

While Robert may not practice individually for the Colts Grigson says his teams evaluations are continuing and the Colts have not yet made up their mind about which player they will choose as their No. 1 choice and future leader of the Indianapolis Colts organization.

Whatever decision the Colts make they will not begin negotiating with that No. 1 draft before the 2012 NFL draft.

If Luck goes No. 1 as is expected the Washington Redskins are the likely choice to pick up Robert Griffin III.

The Redskins secured the No. 1 draft pick after the St. Louis Rams who secured No. 1 draft pick QB Sam Brady in 2010 traded the draft pick to the Redskins during a blockbuster trade.

Andrew Luck managed to rack up more than 3,000 yards for 35 touchdowns during his last season of play at Stanford. With those numbers its safe to say Indianapolis is probably not going to deviate from their original No. 1 draft choice.

The Indianapolis Colts continued with their offseason quest to bolster their offensive line. Three of the five newcomers to be acquired by the team since the start of free agency have come on the offensive line. The latest addition is the signing of free agency center Samson Satele. Satele signed a three year, $10.8 million contract to become what general manager Ryan Grigson described, “the anchor of the offensive line”.

Satele comes to Indianapolis from the Oakland Raiders where he played for the last three seasons. Satele was the starting center each season he played in Oakland. At such a young age, he has a lot of experience as a starter in the NFL.

I think this is a great signing for the Colts. After the left tackle, center is one of the most vital positions on the offensive line. This move secures those two positions for Indianapolis into the future. It’s very important to the success of a young quarterback to have stability on the offensive line. With the additions of Satele and Winston Justice to go along with Anthony Castonzo, Ben Ijalana, and Joe Reitz, the offensive line could be very good in 2012 and beyond. Each of the players listed are under 28 years old and can grow and improve along with the new Colt offense. If the team can develop a strong offensive line, it could go a long way toward turning things around quickly in Indianapolis.

If Satele pans out, this is the kind of move that could prove to be very good for the team moving forward. Peyton Manning was able to have stability by having such a great center in Jeff Saturday for so long. Like many fans, I’ll be sad to see Saturday go, but this is a strong move to bring in a talented young player in his place. Hopefully Luck and Satele can grow together much like Manning and Saturday once did. If they make a connection anywhere close to what Peyton and Jeff had, Indianapolis fans will be lucky.

Overall, I think this is a good move and one that may not appear attractive to fans, but will help win games on Sundays. Satele is a good player at a position of need and is a solid signing by Ryan Grigson and the Colts. This makes yet another quality signing this offseason for the new era Colts.

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and has been a lifelong fan of the Indianapolis Colts. He attended Super Bowl XLIV in Miami and follows the team closely. He also runs the blog www.coltsfansonline.com that covers the team. Follow him on Twitter @kyler11.

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Colts sign Satele